Crate.



B. A. LANGE.

CRATE.

APPLICATION HLED MAR. 26. 1914.

Patented. Apr. 18, 1916.

6W: BERT/r040 A A ANGE,

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFlCE.

BERTHOLI) A. LANGE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CRATE.

- for shipment, storage, or handling in large or small numbers orindividually with a minimum risk of breakage, each fragile article beingresiliently supported separately away from contact one with the otherand from contact with the box-sides and-the like in a layer inappropriately shaped apertures located in a tray, the apertures being"suitably spaced from each other for supporting the fragile article freefrom contact with parts of said tray except at thetwo parts of saidfragile article received in said apertures, said tray being removablyinserted in a crate, box, or container and sup- .ported as hereinafterdescribed.

A further object of this invention is to provide means for packing aseries of these trays containing fragile articles in superimposed tiersor layers =removably stacked one upon the other within a crate, box, orcontainer, each layer or tier being separately removable from the topdownward,

and each layer, as removed, constituting a group or nest capable ofbeing handled without disturbing the individually-packed fragilearticles forming said group or nest.

A purpose accomplished and an advantage secured by providing a means forhandling fragile articles in groups or. nests in removable layersisthat, for instance, in

the ease of ,eggs packed for storage in a large crate containing aplurality of layers by means of this invention, the superimposed layersof the large crate may be removed one by one beginning with the toplayer and the eggs candled in groups of the number composing each group,or the eggs may be repacked in smaller crates of a size sutlicicnt toaccommodate one layer or'any number of layers less than that containedin the original large crate. Thus, for instance, a crate containingtwelve dozen eggs Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

Application filed March 26, 1914. Serial No. 827,432.

packed in layers composed of groups or nests of a dozen eggs in eachgroup or nest by means of this invention, may readily be divided intotwelve separate packages by removing each of the layers comprising thegroup or nest of twelve eggs contained in each tray, and, placing eachtray in a separate box, crate, or container of suitable size, the twelveseparate packages maybe shipped to twelve different customers. Similarlyany easily frangible articles may be repa'cked from larger into smallercrates for distribution or for any other desirable purpose or purposesby means of this invention.

The trays of this invention holding groups or nests of any convenientnumber of fragile articles may be composed of any suitable material,such, for instance, as cardboard, and the apertures therein may be madeby stamping, cutting, or otherwise.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part oft-his specification, inwhich like numbers of. reference denote like parts wherever they occur,Figure l is a erspective view, showing a plurality of trays within acrate,

part of the latter being broken away; Fig.

2 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly in section, showing a means,in a form of tray of this invention, for removably fitting superimposedparts intimately together; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view,partly in section, of one of the trays depicted in Fig. 1, showing ameans for locking together the platforms of the same.

Fig. 1 illustrates a form of crate and tray particularly well adaptedfor packing fragile articles for storage, as, for example, for packingeggs for storage in cold storage plants. The container 10 is a box,crate, or case of a frame made of wood or other suita'ble'matcrial, theside panels of said container being omitted in construction and having aclosed bottom not shown) and a removable lid or cover 21 (shown in frag-'mentary section) fitting into the frame of the container and closingthetop thereof when the container is filled with the trays of thisinvention. The two platforms 5 and 6 (Figs. 1 and 2) composing the formof tached, in the preferable construction of this form of tray, to aframe surrounding said platform, by catching and holding the outer edgesof said platform between the two similarly constructed halves 22 and 23of said frame which is made of wood or other suitable material, theframe parts 22 and 23 being united by any suitable means with the edgesof the platform between them, and forming flanges of suitable depth mgthe lower platform of a tray adjacent to the bottom of thecontainer-sufficiently away from said bottom to prevent the contents ofsaid tray from coming in contact with said bottom, and providing a meansfor spacing the upper platform of a. tray adjacent to the cover 21 ofthe container 10 sutiiciently away from said cover to prevent thecontents of said tray from coming in contact with said cover. Thereinforcing member 9 provides a means for handling its attachedplatform, or a filled or empty tray of this form for any purposeorpurposes whatsoever. The reinforcing member 9 in this form of tray ispreferably a strip of wood running transversely across the upper face ofa rectangular platform of a tray at a right angle with either sideofsaid platform being attached to the side frames of the platform at theends of said reinforging strip by any suitable means such, for instance,as a nail 24, said reinforcing member 9 having grooves 25 providingaconvenient means for grasping said member with one or both hands. iThenumber, location, and construction of the reinforcing members, such as9, attached to a platform may be varied. and, also, for the grooves 25anv other suitable grasping means.

To provide means for locking together the platforms of a trav of theform depicted in Fig. l, a hook 2G swinging pivotally from a shank ofsuitable length about an attaching means 27 upon the frame of oneplatform of a trav may be inserted into an evcscrewed into the frame ofthe other platform of that tray, the shank of the hook 26 extending fromone platform to the other of said tray through a suitable slot 29 of asize adapted to permit said hook to swing on its pivotal attachment 27suliiciently for inserting and withdrawing said book from the eyelet 28for the purpose of connecting and disconnecting the two platfotins ofthe tray. Two or more locking'devic es such as that described maybeattached to opposite inside parts of the frames of two platformsforming a tray for a means for conveniently locking the two platforms ofa tray together to permit of handling a. tray, filled orv unfilled, as aconnected unit. Any other suitable locking means for locking twoplatforms of a tray together, or any othercombination of parts suitablefor that purpose, may be substituted for the locking means and thecombination of-parts therefor described herein.

By means of rabbeting 30 (Fig. 2) the adjacent edges of the frames 22and 23 of the two platforms forming a tray an intimate association ofparts is attained as illustrated in Fig. 2. In this form of tray (Fig.2) the two platforms forming a tray are held in stable relation to eachother, said rabbeting 30 of the adjacent edges of the platform framestending to prevent either platform of a tray from sliding away laterallythus attains the advantage of an intimate union provides a means forsecurity to the contents of a tray so constructed. The rah-- beting 30is of especial advantage in trays of this invention used for storingfragile articles packed therein without using a con.-

tainer 10 (Fig. 1) for said trays' Any suitable form of rabbeting may besubstituted for that shown in Fig. 2.

from its companion platform and When one or more trays of the formsdepictedin Figs. 1 and 2 are packed in an open paneled container 10(Fig. I) Said open panels are closed (filled in) by means of theplatform frame parts 22 and 23, which platform frame parts then form thepanels of the container frame and the contents of the tray or trayspacked in said container is closed in on all sides and boxed in a strongpackage of comparatively light weight with the further ad'vantage that asaving of construction of an open paneled skeleton container rather thanmaking a container of completed box construction.

Various changes in details of construction material has been achieved inthe and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from thespirit of this invention. v

I claim:

In a shipping case for eggs and the like,

ing alining openings there the opposite portions of the eggs or thelike, and interlocking flanges formed upon the adjacent sections of 5frames at the meeting edges thereof for 1nterloeking engagement heldagainst any lateral with each other whereby the said cooperating frameswill be the cooperating BERTHOLD A. LANGE.

' Witnesses GEORGE G. A NnmsoN,

movement and NANCY (l. THOMAS.

